The National Archives at Boston

Resources for Students

The National Archives is our nation's record keeper. It preserves valuable government documents for the American people. The National Archives at Boston holds the records of the six New England states, 1789 - present. Everybody is welcome to use them for free!

Use the National Archives resources for your homework, projects, and research. You can visit in person and online. And there's great stuff to look at: documents, video, photographs, and audio.

Learn What's in the National Archives

The National Archives holds about 10 billion records of our government and its interactions with our people. It preserves the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights and our most important historical documents such as the Emancipation Proclamation, the check for the purchase of Alaska, the president's apology for Japanese internment, declarations of war and peace. . . .

Students enjoy the day and take a working lunch break outdoors.

The National Archives at Boston (in Waltham, MA) holds the original federal records of the six New England states, 1789 - present. Civil and criminal court cases, bankruptcies, naturalizations, Civil War draft records, a telegraph announcing the attack on Pearl Harbor, slave documents, whaling ship manifests, scientific studies and the records of many government agencies. Each government agency is assigned a "Record Group" (RG) number, with which the archives organizes the records. See a list of the Record Groups.

For additional information about the National Archives:

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Visit the National Archives in Person

You can visit in person. Just walk on in! The National Archives is open to the public Monday- Friday 8 AM - 4:30 PM (9 PM on Thursdays) and the first Saturday of each month.

For specific research requests, contact the archivists in advance, so the records you need will be ready for you. Contact boston.archives@nara.gov or 866-406-2379.

If you can't come in person, you can visit the National Archives and the National Archives at Boston online. See Online Resources below.

Visit the National Archives Online

A student researches original records.

Check these out and use them!

Citing Sources

To cite sources (online or original records), use the format required by your teacher or school. To properly cite records from the National Archives, see the Citing Records in the National Archives of the United States

Love History? Consider Entering National Competitions

Have You Heard of National History Day? We the People? National competitions enable you to get deeply involved in history research and study. They are amazing experiences that can shape your life.

Get involved in:

The National Archives at Boston >

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272

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